The Department of Energy has revealed the petrol price for October, and it's just as bad as first feared. Many motorists will now pay R17 per litre.

Well, we were prepared for the worst and that’s what we’ve got. The petrol price for October has become the biggest month-on-month rise in our history, with motorists expected to fork out R1 per litre more this month.

The Department of Energy has confirmed motorists will now fork out an extra 99 cents per litre when they top up with Petrol 93, whereas that figure hits R1 exactly for the more common grade of Petrol 95.

Diesel users have it worse, with their costs soaring by R1.24 per litre. Wholesale illuminating paraffin, meanwhile, has also breached the R1 mark – it’s now R1.04 more expensive.

Petrol price for October in South Africa

Inland regions – such as Gauteng and Free State – will be paying an average of R17.08 a litre for their petrol in October. Coastal areas – like Cape Town and Durban – have some comparative light relief, paying R16.49 for every litre of petrol they fill up with.

The factors behind this unprecedented rise

The updated costs will come into effect from 00:00 on Tuesday night, heading into Wednesday morning. In a statement issued by the Energy Department, the rand’s weakened value against the dollar was chastised as the main factor behind the spikes.

“The average rand/US dollar exchange rate for the period 31 August 2018 to 27 September 2018 was 14.7899 compared to 13.9430 during the previous period.”

“This led to a higher contribution to the Basic Fuel Prices on petrol, diesel and illuminating paraffin by 48.72c/l, 51.03c/l and 50.62 c/l respectively.”

It’s also worth noting that government intervention at the start of September perhaps did more harm than good. Jeff Radebe, the energy minister, announced that the ANC would subsidise the cost of petrol for the month, meaning that the petrol price increases were minimal, nearing the five-cent mark.

However, all that did was exacerbate the costs for October. Instead of having two rises of 40 – 60 cents each month, we’ve ended up with this freak result of a R1 increase. Whether it’s via bicycle or a horse and cart, we reckon it’s time that we all find a new way to manoeuvre around South Africa.